Island



F. W. LEWIS.

BELT BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-9, I920.

3 0 123 I Patented Nov. 23, 19200 fi'ederjakllf Lew/1's UNITED STATES PATENT orrice.

FREDERICK W. LEWIS, OF PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR- T0 CHAPIN &

HOLLISTER 00., OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

BELnBUGKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23. 1920.

Application filed August 9, 1920. Serial No. 402,325.

'a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Providence, in the county of Providenceand State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt-Buckles, of which the followu ing is a specification. I

This invention relates to belt buckles of the class adapted to bind a belt in adjusted position about the body of the wearer, and the invention has for its object to provide a buckle of the clamp lever type in which the lever is provided with a gripping cam whereby belts of different thicknesses may be gripped and bound in the body thereof.

The nature and advantages of the invention will be better understood when the following detail description is taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the invention residing in the combination and arrangement of parts as claimed.

In the rawings forming part of this specificatio like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views and wherein 1 Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my improved cam-gripping member as binding a belt against the inner surface of the front plate of the body.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating the cam action of my clamping lever.

Fig. 3 is an end view of my improved buckle, showing the cam as having a con-. tour shaped to fit the curvature of the front plate.

Flg. 4c is an enlarged perspective view showing the clamping level with the cam removed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the binding cam removed from the clamping lever.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the inner side of my improved buckle.

In practice belts worn about the body are made of a number of different thicknesses, for instance, there is the belt of the single thickness; the belt having a separate back sewed thereto, and there is also a belt of a double thickness having its edges folded back and secured together, all of which different styles of belts vary considerably in thick nesses.

It is desired in practice to provide a buckle which will adapt itself to grip and retain any of these belts, and the following is a detailed description of one means by which the lever type of buckle may be constructed to accomplish this purpose.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates the body of a buckle, which is usually formed of precious or plated metal, and which is preferably provided with two side walls 11 turned back preferably on a slight incline to the plane of the front plate 12.

Each of these side walls is shown as being provided with the. usual ears 13 pierced for the reception of pivot pins or lugs 15 formed on the ends of the clamp lever 16. My improved clamp lever is also provided with two end bearing ears 17 pierced at 18 which ears are connected with a cross bar 19 to support them rigidly in position, the actuating portion of this lever comprising a bail 20 to which one end 28 of the belt may be ri idly secured.

11 order to provide abiting or gripping clamping cam in this clamp lever which will automatically adjust itself to accommodate belts of different thicknesses, I have formed a cam-bar 21 having trunnions 22 at its opposite ends which trunnions are offset from the center of the bar so that as the bar swings on its pivots in one direction its gripping surface 23 extends down deeper or nearer the inner face 2 1 of the front plate 12 of ,the body and when swung in the opposite direction its gripping surface 25 recedes from the innersurface providing more space between it and the inner surface of the front plate.

In order to limit the throw of this cam I have cut away a portion thereof at 26 and the extremities of this cut-away portion are mounted to straddle the bar 19 whereby this extending portion 27 of this member 21 in engaging the surface of the.

lever naturally turns to present its lowest side or surface '25 thereto then as strain is applied to the belt in the direction of the arrow the cam rotates slightly presenting its corrugated surface to grip and bind the belt against the inner surface of the front plate and this rotation continues until the belt is so tightly bound therein that it cannot slip or move farther in this direction.

It will be seen that by the rotation or rocking motion of this cam, it automatically adjusts itself to grip and accommodate belts of different thicknesses. It will also be noted that in order to prevent the cam from rotating over its highest center I have provided a stop bar 27 which limits its rotation when its highest gripping surface has been presented to the surface of the belt.

It will also be noted that a stop has also been provided for the rocking of a cam in the opposite direction to insure this cam at all times being in proper position to engage a belt when the clamping lever is moved to operative position.

My improved cam-clamping member is very simple and practical in construction and by its use belts of any desired thickness will be positively gripped and held in the buckle and the device will automatically adjust itself to positively grip and bind belts of different thicknesses.

The foregoing description is directed solely toward the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A belt buckle comprising a body member, a clamp lever pivoted in said body and adapted to have one end of the belt secured thereto, and a cam-shaped rocker bar carried by said lever for gripping and binding the belt in said body.

. 2. A belt buckle comprising a body, a clamp lever pivotally mounted in said body, and a rocker cam-shaped gripper member carried by said lever to automatically adjust itself to grip belts of different thicknesses.

3. A belt buckle comprising a body, a clamp lever pivotally mounted in said body, a rocker mounted in said lever to grip belts of different thicknesses against the body, and means for limiting the rocking motion of said cam in its bearings.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FREDERICK W. LEWIS. 

